Twins Find What the World Can’t Give

October 2017

The twin brothers were certain: If they followed Jesus, they would miss out on the pleasures of life. If they obeyed Christ’s teachings, life would be too occupied with Christian laws and regulations. The teenagers decided they would spend their youth doing whatever made them happy—they didn’t want to miss out on what the world had to offer.

This is Gunja. His parents taught him and his twin brother the way of the Lord, but as he grew up, Gunja rejected Christ and lived for the pleasures of the world.

Driven by Fear of Ancestral Gods

From an early age, Gunja and Rajil attended church with their parents. They watched as their mom and dad remained faithful to Jesus despite the hostile treatment they often faced from their relatives whom wanted nothing to do with Christ.

Those relatives sowed seeds of doubt in the minds of the young, impressionable brothers. They taunted the boys, telling them that if they choose to follow Jesus like their parent’s did, grave consequences would befall them: Their whole family would be wiped out from their native place, no one would stand with them in hardships, and they would receive wrath from their ancestral gods.

As the boys grew older they became confused and wondered why their parents worshiped Jesus while their relatives followed their ancestral religion. The twins’ parents explained time and again why they chose to believe in Jesus, but no faith formed in the young boys. Soon the voices of their relatives won them over, and they began to find excuses to get out of going to church with their parents. Gunja and Rajil fell away from the foundation their parents had built in their lives, and they decided they no longer needed to follow Christ.

As the boys grew older they became confused and wondered why their parents worshiped Jesus.

Rajil (pictured) and his older twin brother, Gunja, would find excuses for not attending church services with their parents. The brothers were confused by the fearful stories their relatives told them about their ancestral gods becoming angry with them if they dared to follow Jesus.

Prayers of a Mother

Then after a prayer meeting that was held in their home one night, Gunja and Rajil’s mother spoke to them from her heart and shared the deep desire she carried for her two boys to learn to trust in the Lord. She encouraged them that Jesus was the way to a joyous and full life.

But Gunja, the older twin, couldn’t believe his mother’s words. He told her that whenever he read God’s Word, he felt it was restrictive and too difficult to obey. He concluded that the answer to real joy was in following the pursuits of his young heart.

Gunja’s words grieved his mother, but she continued praying for her sons even more earnestly, petitioning the Lord for them to understand the joy of His salvation and love. She also invited their pastor, GFA-supported pastor Jubin, to share from the Bible and counsel her sons.

Pastor Jubin could relate with the twins. When he was a young man, the temptations of the world gripped his own youthful heart, and he slid away from Christ. He chased after fleeting pleasures, but he found the world could not give him true joy and satisfaction. Now, he devotedly served the Lord and encouraged other searching hearts to find the true life in Christ.

Pastor Jubin could relate with the twins. When he was a young man, the temptations of the world gripped his own youthful heart, and he slid away from Christ.

Jubin (pictured) fell away from the Lord when he was young. He later discovered only Jesus could satisfy the longing of his heart, and he gave his life to serving the Lord. Today he serves as a GFA-supported pastor in Gunja and Rajil’s area.

A Film Reveals Truth

One evening, Pastor Jubin conducted a film show in his village with the help of one of his friends, a GFA-supported film ministry leader. Along with many villagers, Gunja joined to watch the film.

In many Asian villages, watching a movie might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And for those who see a film on the life of Jesus, it is often an experience that changes their lives for all eternity—like it was for Gunja.

As Gunja watched the film projected that night, the Lord began to speak to his heart. The counsel and Scripture shared with him finally sunk deep in his heart; God’s Word did not return void. Tears of repentance ran down Gunja’s face as he realized his need for a Savior. The Lord met Gunja there in the dark as he sat and watched the screen. As the film unfolded, he began to see that God’s Word and all the things he had been taught from a very young age were true. He was broken as he realized all the pursuits of his heart were leading him astray.

The next day, Gunja visited Pastor Jubin and told him he realized that obeying God’s Word was the pathway to true joy. That very day, 17-year-old Gunja decided to live in God’s joy with no turning back.

Living in the Fullness of Christ

Gunja, now changed with the peace and love of Christ, wanted the ones who had played a part in leading him away from Christ to know the pure love and joy in Jesus. Sadly, his relatives wouldn’t listen to him. Even Rajil would have nothing to do with what Gunja shared with his twin.

“How can a young boy know about religion and faith?” Rajil responded.

But after a time, Rajil saw his brother’s life change. He witnessed Gunja’s steadfast faith in Christ, and because of his brother’s example, Rajil soon decided to live for Jesus too.

Today, the prayers of Gunja and Rajil’s parents have been answered, and they worship the Lord together as a family. Gunja and Rajil both are actively involved in church activities and have resolved to follow Jesus till their last breath.

Projectors and screens, like the ones pictured, share films on the life of Christ in villages where many have never even watched a film before or heard the name of Jesus. You can be part of revealing the love of Christ by equipping film teams with projectors and gear to make film shows possible.

What a Projector and Screen Can Do

God used a simple film to guide Gunja’s life, which resulted in him and his twin brother coming to know Jesus. This is just one testimony of many men and women throughout Asia who have been impacted through film ministry.

In places where movies are not often available, many villagers flock to watch films about Christ together as a community. Often the Lord will use these films to show His deep love for them. As pastors and missionaries faithfully explain to the audience about the power of God’s love, many lives are touched, just like young Gunja’s.

You can be part of transforming lives with the joy of Christ by supporting GFA’s film ministry today!

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*Names of people and places may have been changed for privacy and security reasons. Images are GFA stock photos used for representation purposes and are not the actual person/location, unless otherwise noted.